I Trust You
by Mel Writer
Summary: Tsuna's mother makes a breakthrough, realizing everything she did, and specifically what she did to Tsuna. So, they all go to Italy to see her and run into problems and people along the way. Part 5 of the I'll Take It verse.
1. Chapter 1

'I Trust You'

Tsuna's mother makes a breakthrough, realizing everything she did, and specifically what she did to Tsuna. So, they all go to Italy to see here and run into problems and people along the way.

This is a segment to 'I'll take it' has 2 or 3 parts (likely 2) and I'll add the second as a chapter to this.

* * *

Tsuna let out a shaky breath as he lowered his cell phone, hanging up as he looked at the rapid audience of three. Xanxus, his now fiancé, had all but moved in with the three of them a month ago, a week or so after the proposal, gave Tsuna a worried glance. Or, as worried as he would outwardly appear in front of anyone that wasn't solely his husband-to-be. Hayato and Takeshi were watching him too, and the only one who had no idea what was said quickly asked if everything was alright, if Tsuna needed any help because although Takeshi couldn't understand Italian, he could understand tone, and worried facial expressions.

"I, uhm... that was the hospital where mom is being treated." Tsuna said in Japanese for his oldest friends' benefit. "Mom... she came out of her haze. She remembers me, what she did to me. She..." Tears gathered in Tsuna's eyes and he leaned his hip against the back of the couch. Xanxus stood from his seat and quickly walked around to gather Tsuna into his arms from behind. "F-for the first-time in... like, _8 years_ , she remembered who I am. She asked for me by _name_..."

Tsuna turned in Xanxus' embrace and wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck as his voice failed him, letting himself feel all the repressed feelings he had had since his childhood. Hayato remained silent and only spoke up to keep his other room mate quiet when it looked to him like Takeshi was about to say something.

"I have to go see her." Tsuna blurted, ripping away from Xanxus and all but running to their bedroom, already thinking of what to wear, what to bring, _who_ to bring, when the next flight out to Italy was, and about a hundred other things. He barely took note of Xanxus entering the bedroom with him, the man staying near the door and leaning against the frame. It took Tsuna ten minutes of frantic packing to look up at him.

"What?"

"Your father is in Italy too. Are you sure you want to go? He will find out about us – I am not letting you go alone."

Tsuna sighed with a slight smile. "Well, of course you're coming with. I need you for this trip. And if he finds out then that's fine. I really don't care about him. I love you, and if he hates me for that, then he can go and fuck himself." Tsuna said with enough determination to fool himself into believing what he said, and that his whole body wasn't shaking at the thought of his father finding out about his relationship with a man.

By the look Xanxus was giving him, the larger man was not as convinced as Tsuna had hoped he would be.

After a moment of staring between them, Xanxus moved, sighing and pushing away from the door frame to pull his own large luggage bag from the closet.

"How long do you think we'll be staying there?" he asked in a gruff voice. Tsuna smiled.

"I'm not sure... a few days maybe?" Xanxus grunted in reply and went to packing a few shirts and a couple pairs of pants. A knock sounded at their door and Hayato popped his head in.

"Hey... Do you want me to come too?" He asked tentatively.

"No." Xanxus said, just as Tsuna replied,

"If it wouldn't bother you, yes. Please."

Tsuna looked down at Xanxus and said softly, "I'm going to need all the support I can get. And he's been there for me for years. He's one of my best friends. Please?"

Xanxus looked into his younger lovers' eyes, watching the fear in them and smiled a small tilt of his lips. "Then go and get that other guy too. You need all the support you can get right? Take Takeshi with us, too." Tsuna smiled and kissed the man's forehead as he darted out the door.

"Takeshi! I got a question for you! Wanna see Italy?!"

* * *

"So, this is Italy, huh?" Takeshi said in awe as he stepped around a small fountain in the airport. Hayato's eye twitched.

"No, you idiot! This is Shanghai International Airport, we're in China! We have two hours before our connecting flight to Italy takes off."

"Oh, really? Haha! That's cool! I've never been out of Japan before." Tsuna laughed with his friend, and Hayato and Xanxus felt a murderous bubble form around them.

"You were there when we bought the tickets! It was explained to us!" Hayato exploded, throwing his hands up in anger. Xanxus cringed with the loud sound and slunk a little closer to Tsuna.

"Babe, do me a favour. Tell me I can't kill them, because it would hurt you. Other wise, I might actually kill them for a little silence." he growled out. Tsuna smiled wide and said with a giggle,

"Please, lover mine, don't kill my friends. I need you to not be in jail for their murder." Xanxus cracked a small smile with that, and together the four made their way to a small cafe in the building, settling down with a few drinks to wait for their connecting flight to Italy.

Thankfully, a good pair of large, noise blocking headphones and coffee with a long slosh of rum, and Xanxus stuck to his word of not killing the other two. Their flight to Italy was nearly 3 times as long as the flight to Shanghai, and despite it being his first time on a plane for any real length of time, Takeshi was the only one not anxious to get off the plane. He stretched and walked causally as he followed his friends and room mates, watching them stumble and all but fall in a heap once they were finally at their destination.

"How are you OK?!" Tsuna ranted as he followed the signs to baggage claim, pulling Takeshi's sleeve every once in a while, to keep him going on the right path. "I mean, I'm usually good with long flights, but this was an insane trip!"

And it was, too. 12-hour flight with so much turbulence the plane had dropped from the sky twice. Hayato nodded in agreement and shuddered as he looked back at the plane, taking in the damaged wing from when a bolt of lightning hit it. The machine was definitely grounded for the foreseeable future. Xanxus took in a deep breath and let it out in a controlled sigh, attempting to stop the frantic beat of his heart without letting on that that had scared him too.

It truly was a miracle they made it alive.

Yamamoto Takeshi laughed, because he felt none of this. He had slept through the entire flight and had no idea how close to death he and his friends had been. ( _"Lucky bastard."_ Gokudera snarled in Italian, Tsuna and Xanxus nodded with him.)

Tsuna heard his name be called from behind him just as he grabbed Xanxus' bag from the conveyer belt and turned to watch his father walk up to the four of them.

"Dad!" He exclaimed as his fiancé took the bag from him while simultaneously trying to disappear. Xanxus hadn't been expecting to meet the man so soon after arrival, but he guessed he probably should have. They were here for Iemitsu's wife, after all, and the main component of their group was the man's son.

"Oh, my boy! You've grown so much! How the hell did you grow so much in just 2 years?" His tone travelled from high excitement to low curiosity as he looked Tsuna up and down, his eyes landing on Tsuna's shoes – and the brunette realized then that he had also not been expecting to see his father until after they were at least settled into their hotel rooms, and therefore, he was wearing his usual 7'' dagger stiletto heels.

"What the fuck are you wearing on your feet?" Iemitsu sounded angry, but there was still confusion in his eyes – buried deep behind his anger, but it was still there. His tone had gathered the attention of a few different people; Hayato and Takeshi grabbed their bags and stood just behind Tsuna. Xanxus kept a little distance away, hopefully out of eye sight of the man, despite him feeling like he needed to be as close to Tsuna as he could right now. Many other people who had no association with any of them also turned to look at the man, not understanding the language (Thankfully, they were still speaking Japanese) but most people who hear angry tones tend to look toward the fight, even if they had no intention of interrupting.

For a long moment, Tsuna drew a blank. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to speak – it seemed like the anger in Iemitsu's eyes brought back Tsuna's selective silence. Suddenly, there was movement behind Iemitsu and Tsuna's eyes were drawn to his fiancé standing a few feet behind his father, eyes boring into Tsuna's to try and bring him back.

And thank god for him, because it worked.

"Weapons." Tsuna said at long last, bringing his father's eyes up to his face and away from his feet. "Since I mostly fight bare handed I decided I needed something extra to help. These are called Dagger Stilettos, and they help my kicks. Also, since I'm so short, they give me an extra edge when I'm doing anything. Makes me seem taller, you know?" Tsuna ended his little spiel with a smile and a cocked head and prayed to whatever god would listen that Iemitsu would buy the lie.

By the look in the man's eyes, the lie was not bought.

Takeshi decided now was the perfect time to introduce himself, rather than let Iemitsu talk and ruin Tsuna any more than he already had.

"Hi!" he said cheerfully, taking a step around Tsuna and extending a hand out to the man, effectively putting himself between Tsuna and his father. Xanxus couldn't help but be thankful that he hadn't killed the idiot a long time ago. "My name is Yamamoto Takeshi! I'm Tsuna's room mate!" Takeshi let his hand stay there, outstretched between them for a while, while the man looked him over. The second Iemitsu clasped hands with Takeshi, however, Takeshi surprised all three of his companions. They shook right hands and Takeshi swung his left arm up and over the man's shoulders as he pulled the older male in.

"You know, it's my first time here in Italy, care to show me a good restaurant while Tsuna and Hayato grab the bags?" And just like that, Takeshi began dragging the older male away like he didn't just stop him from blowing up in Tsuna's face.

Xanxus watched Takeshi lead the Young Lion of Vongola away like an expert negotiator as he joined his shocked fiancé and friend.

"Did he just...?" Tsuna began, pointing at his best friend's retreating back. Hayato and Xanxus nodded.

"You know," Hayato began, his voice thick. He swallowed and coughed before he began again. "You know, I've always thought he would make a good assassin."

Tsuna blinked at him with a raised eye brow.

"I know what you mean." Xanxus agreed. "Every now and again I can just feel his potential going to waste with his baseball." Tsuna turned to Xanxus and tilted his head in question. Xanxus waived him off and grabbed his lovers' hand. "Come on, before we lose them."

Tsuna only just remembered to grab his suite case before letting the larger man drag him off, listening to Hayato jog to catch up to them with his and Takeshi's bags in hand.

* * *

They had almost reached a small restaurant just outside of the Airport before Iemitsu even noticed Xanxus' presence. It was almost humorous how he had been discovered – Iemitsu had been talking about Tsuna taking over after him, confusing the tall black-haired 20 year old to no end (because he was still technically a civilian, Tsuna and Hayato decided to keep him in the dark about the darker aspects of Tsuna's stay in Italy) and when the man looked over his shoulder to smile at his son fondly, he saw how Xanxus was talking close to Tsuna's ear and making his boy _giggle_.

"Xanxus of Varia!" Iemitsu shouted, turning out of Takeshi's hold. (To keep the man's interest in Takeshi, the baseball star thought it best to keep the man as close as possible, and thus decided to keep his arm around the man's shoulders.) Iemitsu whipped out a gun and aimed it as quickly as possible at Xanxus.

"What the hell are you doing here? Tsuna! Come here, you aren't safe!" He aimed the gun with one hand and pushed Takeshi behind him with the other, apparently thinking that Takeshi needed to be behind him to be safe. Tsuna was touched by the thought but could still only sigh at his father's actions.

"Dad, stop. Put the gun away and lets just go eat. It was a long flight, and a lot has happened." Tsuna said tiredly and grabbed Xanxus' jacket sleeve, pulling the man into the small shop with his father and friends in tow.

Iemitsu put the gun away but made sure he could grab it at any moment, keeping his eyes on Xanxus. He repeated his question and waited for someone to answer him. Xanxus sighed.

"I went on a vacation to travel the world, found Namimori, saw a familiar face and made some friends." he grumbled. "Is that really something to point a gun at me for?"

"Someone like you doesn't make friends. You make pawns. People to use." Iemitsu said harshly, and Tsuna flinched. Xanxus growled.

"Then what the fuck does that make my people at Varia, huh?!"

"What do you want with Tsuna?" Iemitsu said, ignoring the question and asking his own. A waitress walked up to them and Tsuna listened to Hayato ask for a table for 5. The young woman nodded and began to lead them toward a large table – well... began to lead Hayato and Takeshi. Tsuna was stuck between watching how it would play out between his father and his fiancé and following his friends to their table.

"Go with them, Tsuna." Xanxus said, almost gently, and the man's tone surprised Iemitsu so much he actually took a step back.

"But-"

"Do you trust me?" Xanxus looked away from his almost father-in-law and turned to Tsuna instead. Tsuna quickly thought back to all the languages he knew, and all that his father knew, and all that Xanxus knew. Farsi was the only one both Tsuna and Xanxus spoke, and that Iemitsu did not.

" _I trust you with my heart, my soul and my life. Tell him everything, or nothing. I trust you."_

Tsuna smiled and turned back to the table where his friends sat, joining them, unaware of what the words were doing to his lover. Xanxus could only stand there and stare at Tsuna's back, his heart fluttering and stuttering as his mind repeated those beautiful, quiet words over and over, reaffirming his love for the younger man more than ever before. How the _hell_ did he know how to mess with Xanxus so perfectly again and again? It was like Tsuna knew just how to get under Xanxus' skin and leave him nearly falling over himself as he fell for Tsuna a little more each time.

"What was that?" Iemitsu's voice brought Xanxus back to the present and to the matter at hand. Right. He had to talk with the man about... maybe everything, maybe nothing. That was still to be determined.

"Farsi." Xanxus said, "But let's go to the bar to talk." He began to walk toward the bar, pulling out a stool and sitting in the one next to it – an invitation for the man to sit right next to him. It took a moment, but Iemitsu finally allowed himself to sit next to the man.

Iemitsu had always been cautious around Xanxus, especially after the man had tried to kill his beloved son all those years ago. Tsuna was the last person he wanted to have any kind of relation with Xanxus (save for his wife, but that was beside the point.) and the only way he trusted the man to not kill him upfront was the fact that Xanxus had turned his back on the man when he sat down. He took the seat with as much distance as he could muster without losing the ability to converse quietly.

Rather than out right acknowledging the man, Xanxus waved down the barkeep, ordering a good-sized glass of whisky in Italian.

" _And something for him too."_ He added, head tilted toward Iemitsu before he continued to the man beside him, "On me."

" _Thank you?"_ Iemitsu cocked an eyebrow in a confused question, his attention drifting to the barkeep to order a glass of red wine. Xanxus chuckled as the glasses were brought back for them.

"What?"

"Tsuna has a better taste for Alcohol than you do."

"Don't be ridiculous." Iemitsu smiled into his glass. "Tsuna isn't old enough yet to drink in Japan." Xanxus gave him a lopsided grin.

"Like that'll stop him."

Iemitsu turned a calculating glance at Xanxus before deciding to shelf his own question about his son's apparent drinking habits in favour of starting on something more important.

"Why are you with them really, Xanxus? Travailing with people from Japan, with my son of all people, for what purpose? Why are you here." Iemitsu wasn't sure if he really wanted to answer to those questions, but he needed to know if his son was safe.

Xanxus stared at the man a moment, lop sided grin fading into a more neutral frown, before sighing. "I'll answer your questions, but first I need some from you."

Iemitsu took a moment to think on this, taking a small savouring sip of his wine. It was a good, full body red wine, dry with just a touch of sweet. Almost perfect, but not quite. "First, at least tell me if you are here to hurt my son in any way."

"No."

Iemitsu cocked his eyebrow again, "'No' as in you won't tell me or...?" he left the sentence as Xanxus growled out a huff.

"No." he repeated. "I'm not here to hurt Tsuna."

The blond nodded. "Alright, what do you want to know?" Xanxus was quiet a moment, seemingly contemplating his words as he took a long pull of his whisky. At long last he nodded, but before he could ask his own question, his phone went off.

He frowned and pulled it out, opening the text from Tsuna. _'Want us to wait for you guys to order?'_ it read. Xanxus hummed a moment before he turned to the man next to him.

"Tsuna wants to know if you want them to wait for us before they order. I was just going to have Tsuna order for me. You?"

Iemitsu sat back in his seat, eyes wide. "You have changed so much since I last saw you, Xanxus."

Xanxus blinked at him. "Well, what the fuck do you want them to do? Order your food, or wait?"

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when I'd see the real you. I'll just order my food here, and have the server bring it to the table." He waved over to the barkeep, grabbing her attention and placing an order for some pasta dish while Xanxus texted back.

 _'Your dad just ordered at the bar to have it taken to the table. You know what I like'_

Xanxus slipped his phone back into his pocket just as the other man sat beside him. Before Iemitsu could ask or say something, Xanxus started.

"Tsuna told me a story, and I want to know your side of it." He waited for the still slightly confused nod of confirmation and continued. "He told me that there was a time, back when he had just moved to Italy to live with you, when you killed someone in front of him. It was still before he had learned Italian."

Iemitsu took a moment to think on that, trying to remember what the man was talking about before it hit him. "Oh, yeah. There was a time. What about it?"

"Tsuna thinks you killed him because he was gay and, at that time, having a sexual relation with another man that you and he accidentally walked in on."

Confusion hit Iemitsu so much harder than before as he turned to face the taller man. "What? Why?"

Xanxus rolled his eyes as he downed the rest of his whisky and singled for another. "Gee I don't know, it couldn't possibly be because he had no understanding of the language at the time, and therefore no context for something he was never given an explanation for." Xanxus knocked on the wood of the bar when the woman pouring his drink filled the glass only just below halfway and stopped before it was the level he wanted. He stared at her until her smile faltered and she continued to pour until it was full.

" _Thank you."_ He said in Italian, and watched her smile come back.

" _No problem, sir."_ She sounded way too peppy and happy. He scowled at her retreating back.

"So this whole time, Tsuna thought I killed a man that was working for me because he was gay?" Iemitsu said from his side. Xanxus took in his flabbergasted expression and nodded. "Oh... oh no. I swear I'm not Homophobic."

Xanxus nodded again. "I didn't think you were, but you might want to tell your son that. So what actually happened?"

"Well, what we walked in on wasn't just two men having sex. It was a snitch getting fucked by a police detective that had _somehow_ known about various things that had put several of my men and women behind bars or in coffins."

"Oh... yeah, tell that to Tsuna."

"Why? I mean, yeah, I need to clear that up pretty quick, I'm now well aware. But why do you feel the need for me to tell Tsuna?"

Xanxus swallowed a little more than half his glass in two pulls and said, "He ran from you, from Italy, because he thought you were Homophobic."

"But why would that- oh." He paused, eyes wide. "Is he...?"

"Yep."

There was a long moment of silence between them, in which Iemitsu finished his glass of wine, and ordered another whole bottle. Xanxus cocked his eyebrow as minutes passed between them.

"You ok, man?"

"Yeah... it's just a lot to take in. Wait." Iemitsu snapped his head up and turned to their table. "Is he with one of those guys over there? Hayato or... what was his name... Takeshi?"

With a small smirk, Xanxus purposefully tapped his ring finger against the glass, making a soft click and gaining the attention of the man next to him again. Iemitsu leaned over and took in the ring, his hand reaching out but not getting actually close enough to touch.

"No..."

"He asked me to marry him. I said yes." Xanxus was a little weary of the man, Iemitsu's expression was rather unreadable and his response to this would shift everything they were here to do. Not by much, they were still here to see Nana first and foremost, but Iemitsu being here and aware of their relationship could spell a safe haven or an inescapable hell. And Xanxus would willingly kill the man to keep Tsuna happy.

Finally, Iemitsu's blank eyes turned to him and the man asked quietly, "He asked you?" Xanxus smirked. He knew a lot of people, once they knew how far their relationship went, almost expected Tsuna to be the subservient one. Tsuna was small, and shapely, and he wore fucking high-heels, for fuck sakes! And Xanxus was a big man, intimidating with all his scars – and the only person he would readily bend backwards for was Tsuna. The brunette man had a way with making Xanxus _want_ to do what was asked, even for the most mundane of things. Dishes unclean? Done. Tsuna needed his uniform washed while he slept from a long shift? Xanxus would stay up just to make sure they were dry and warm for Tsuna when the other woke up.

He looked down at his ring and smiled, eyes unintentionally softening as he gazed at the rose-gold band with four small rubies and a slightly larger diamond in the centre. "Yeah. He's amazing like that – breaks all the stereo types."

There was another moment of silence as they sat and drank, and Xanxus was only just starting to feel the alcohol touch his system – it really had been a long ass flight. With all the turbulence, and the plane dropping from the sky, Xanxus hadn't gotten any booze on the trip since Shanghai. He sighed as he finished the glass-

"Welcome to the family, Xanxus!" Iemitsu all but shouted in his ear, grabbing at his shoulders and pulling him in for a tight hug. Xanxus chocked on his whisky and nearly drowned if not for the tight grip the older man had on him preventing him from actually breathing in the liquid. The Varia leader so very nearly shot the man, and instead shoved him away.

"What the fuck?! Get off me!"

Iemitsu laughed it off. "Come on, my boy. Let's go join the others." he said, still laughing as Xanxus growled in response. Xanxus sulked until he plopped down into the seat next to his fiancé, Iemitsu taking the seat across from him. Tsuna turned to look at Xanxus with worry etched into every pore, his eyes saddened, like he thought Xanxus' gruff attitude when he sat down meant that Iemitsu was not on board with their relationship.

"So... how did it go? Does he-" Xanxus, irritated at the older man's full acceptance of him – though he really should be happy for it – cut off his smaller lover with a smothering kiss, one hand holding Tsuna by the throat. He swallowed Tsuna's words and his appreciative hum, lingering there after kissing the man he loved with his heart and soul.

"What do you think?" he asked in a low growl. Tsuna's eyes searched his for an infinitesimal eternity before they nearly glowed with joy and mischief. His worried lips turned up into a wicked smile and his hands came up to grab at Xanxus' wrist on his throat, squeezing hard.

"I wish we were at the hotel already." He nipped at the tip of the man's nose and snarled in a low whisper. _"Tighter!"_

Before Xanxus could oblige his passionate lover, Iemitsu interrupted them, one hand on his face covering his eyes, and the other stretched out between them, trying to block the sight of them. "Alright! I know I said I'm OK with your relationship, and I am, really, but I don't need to see it at the dinner table! Please!"

"Haha, now you know what we deal with." Takeshi said with a gleeful smile. Iemitsu turned to the man with a grimace.

"Are they always like this?" he asked softly, fear in his eyes; because he saw that hand on Tsuna's throat. He had thought it was merely for show – just to make Iemitsu's life harder at the display, but if this was how they always were, and Xanxus was always this harmfully possessive toward his son, then they really might have a problem.

Before Takeshi could ask the man what was wrong, their food arrived, and a grateful hush fell over the table for a few minutes. Iemitsu watched how his son and apparent almost son-in-law interacted, watched how Xanxus let go of Tsuna's throat, but kept his other hand on Tsuna's leg under the table.

"So, Tsuna." he called, gaining his son's attention. The man tilted his head in the most adorable fashion Iemitsu had seen in such a long time, and he had to hold back his coo at the action and focused instead on the question he wanted to ask Tsuna. "I hear you proposed to Xanxus? What happened there? And how did you meet? I want to know everything."

Tsuna blinked at him a moment and smiled as he finished chewing his bite.

"Alright, but I want to know about that thing that happened. Not now, but later, ok?" he switched to Italian. _"I was never given permission to break Omeritta for Takeshi, so he doesn't know anything Mafia related. Including the language."_

Iemitsu nodded, taking that in consideration as he looked the tall man over, suddenly realizing all the things he had said on their walk here would have just made him confused. Takeshi smiled.

"What? I know you guys are talkin' 'bout me. Haha, it kinda hurts."

Iemitsu clapped the man on the back with a smile. "No worries my boy, I'll tell you all about what's going on later, ok?"

"Wait, but, dad-"

"Don't worry about it, Tsuna! Just tell me all about your relationship with Xanxus, alright?" His voice dipped lower and he looked directly into Tsuna's eye. "All about it."

"Ok… well, Hayato and I took up jobs in Namimori, to help us settle in, you know? Anyway, I was walking home from my shift one day and I ran into an old Sempai…"

* * *

"I was not expecting to run into your dad at the airport." Xanxus grumbled as lay on the bed of their hotel room. Tsuna chuckled as he hung up their clothes, taking special care to smooth the wrinkles from Xanxus' shirts.

"Are you going to tell the Varia that you're in the country? They probably worry sometimes when you're out of reach so often."

"I suppose I should… but the loud scum will probably ruin this somehow."

"Squalo? How would he ruin things?" Tsuna asked as he set his pants into a drawer. When he didn't get an answer out of the man, Tsuna turned to see Xanxus laying on his side, watching Tsuna with an oddly withdrawn look on his face. Tsuna's Hyper Intuition, a skill he hadn't needed to use in some time, had Tsuna crawling into bed with his lover, climbing up onto the man's hips and staring down at him. Xanxus rolled with his lover and stared back at him.

"How would Squalo ruin things? What _things_ would he ruin?"

There was a long silent moment between them when Tsuna's eyes widened with realization.

"You still have feelings for him…" he said, his voice a shocked whisper as he sat up, leaning away from Xanxus.

"No, wait, it's not like that!" Xanxus said as he reached for Tsuna, snagging his arm. Tsuna wrenched it from the man's hand.

"Then what is it like? We're engaged, Xanxus! What kind of feelings do you still have?"

"The friendship kind, alright!? Like I said, it's not like that. I don't like him like that anymore." Tsuna stopped struggling to get away and sat on his fiancé's hips, arms crossed over his chest and an angry pout on his lips.

"Then _how_ would he ruin things." The tone was all wrong, but it was still a question.

"Because it's fucking awkward! I haven't really spoken to him since…" Xanxus gracefully flopped back down onto the bed. "Since he fucking left me." He finished quietly. Tsuna's eyes softened and he sighed.

"Then maybe now is a good time to invite them out, chat him up. And we still have to tell Nono about us – we haven't really told very many people about us. Just those we live with."

Xanxus nodded with a groan, closing his eyes to the idiocy he could feel already starting once they announced their engagement. After all, this was kind of a big thing. Xanxus was still considered one of the mafia's most uncatchable bachelors. It was bound to create waves that he has going to marry the man he had once had to fight for the title of Vongola Tenth.

"I'll call Nono tomorrow, have him over to the hotel restaurant and tell him then that I'm getting hitched to a guy."

"Does he even know you're gay?"

"… he will tomorrow."

Tsuna sighed as he dropped his head onto his lovers overly large chest. This man will never change.

"So then, what's the plan? The timeline? Cause I want to go visit mom tomorrow."

"… I'll call him now. Plan a lunch with just us two." Xanxus said softly and Tsuna nodded into his chest.

"Just you two?"

"Yeah. I love you, but this is something that I have to do with just him and me." Tsuna nodded again, his head resting on his lover's large chest, the sound of a strong heart-beat lulling him to sleep. Xanxus' hand made small lines down Tsuna's side, his fingers dipping just below Tsuna's belt every so often. After a moment, Tsuna felt that hand go a lot deeper under his belt as Xanxus started kissing his neck.

"Xanxus… Sorry, stop. I'm not feeling it right now."

Tsuna could hear the sarcasm in the man's returning groan. "Fine! Then move so I can call Nono."

"But you're warm!" Tsuna whined. He stopped whining when the man picked him up under the waist and all but threw him onto the other side of the bed. Xanxus quickly rolled out of bed and swiped his phone from the bedside table – just in time to dodge the axe kick Tsuna had aimed at his stomach in retaliation. The man darted out of the room and closed the door just as a pillow hit it.

* * *

Xanxus sat at the table for two, slouched in his seat as he scrolled through his phone. Tsuna was trying his best to get Xanxus all riled up before he met with Nono, who was oddly running a few minutes late, with texts containing a varying degree of smut. Some of the photos Tsuna took of himself really could have been considered soft-core porn. The words, however, were definitely NSFW.

Hell, Tsuna when he wasn't trying was sexy as sin. When he was trying? Well… if Xanxus was alone he would have jerked off by now. Twice. It was really those short leather shorts, and those long, long legs, and those heels, and _that ass_ -

"Xanxus, my boy!" If Xanxus had been a lesser man, he might have sputtered in surprise, and dropped the phone. He was not a lesser man. As it was, he did jerk up in his seat and looked up as the man sat in the chair opposite. Nono grinned. "You look like you did the day I caught you looking at porn when you were younger." The old man leered – it was rather creepy in Xanxus' personal opinion. "What were you looking at?"

Xanxus just stared. "No one would believe me when I told them you're a dirty old man; you hide it so well behind that pleasant smile." Nono laughed, his eyes warm with familial love. Xanxus couldn't look directly at the man – he didn't regret attacking the man when he had found out the truth about his adoption, but he did still feel the slightest bit of guilt. Fucking Tsuna, making him a better person and shit.

"So?" Nono asked as he leaned back in his seat, the server walking off with their drink orders; Scotch for Xanxus and a green tea for Nono. "What _extraordinary_ thing have you called me here for, son?"

"Take a wild fucking guess."

"Hmm… Oh!" Nono snapped his fingers and leaned forward again. "You gave me a grandchild!"

"Fuck no!" Xanxus yelled back. Nono sighed and leaned away as his tea was served. Xanxus was handed his Scotch and he finished the glass before the man walked away, handing back the glass as he asked for a double.

"From that response, I may never get a grandchild out of you."

"I mean, there's always adoption." Xanxus shrugged.

"Hm, I suppose that's true." Nono replied, "But I can hardly picture you raising a child."

Xanxus nodded his thanks as the man returned with a triple of Scotch. "Yeah, but it's not like I would be alone raising it."

Nono whipped his head up at Xanxus. "What do you mean by that?"

' _Well, no time like the present.'_ "I'm getting married." Xanxus said casually as he sipped his slightly chilled drink. Nono choked on his tea, spitting it across his lap. Xanxus almost grinned as the man's bodyguards darted in close.

"You're _what?!_ " The elderly man coughed as he waived off the bodyguards. Xanxus frowned.

"I thought you would be happier for me. I found someone who loves me for me."

"You seriously found a woman to put up with you? Of course I'm happy!"

Xanxus growled at the man, and Nono sunk in his chair. "I suppose I should have worded that better. I apologize." But then the man sprung up in his chair like an exited puppy. "But do tell me all about her! What is her name? When is the wedding? Am I invited? When can I meet her?"

"We haven't picked a day yet, but…" Xanxus took a gulp of his Scotch and sighed. Why was telling him Tsuna's gender so hard? "I'm marrying a guy." He wanted to close his eyes to put off looking at the man while the confession reached the old man's brain, but before he could even entertain the idea of doing that, Nono spoke.

"Alright, well, what's his name? Am I or am I not going to meet him before the wedding? Am I even invited!? Xanxus; those are the really pressing things!"

In his relief, Xanxus could hardly hold in his smile or soft laugh. Really, it was just like the old man to fully accept him. He was one of the most influential Sky's after all. Honestly, what was worrying him anyway?

"Xanxus…" Nono breathed. "I haven't seen you smile or laugh like that in so long, my son. This young man must have made quite the impact. I really would like to meet him now."

Xanxus didn't even try to curb his smile for the man he really should call 'dad'. "You have no idea on the impact he's made in my life. You know I haven't taken a mission to assassinate someone since I started dating him? I haven't maimed anyone… I haven't even gotten mad at him once in our year and a half long relationship."

"My, oh my! That is quite the change of heart! Is he civilian then?"

Xanxus nodded. "Well… that's a little complicated. His dad is part of the Mafia, but he claims to want nothing to do with his father's work."

"Ah… yes, a lot of the Mafia boys can be like that. Most of them grow out of it though."

"Yeah…" Xanxus swallowed the rest of his Scotch and continued. "You've already met him, by the way."

"Oh I have? Wonderful! Who is he?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

* * *

Xanxus sat in the large plush chair in his room of the hotel, watching something Tsuna and Takeshi thought would be interesting. Hayato had some business to attend to, apparently, and left them. It was all Xanxus could do to not sulk as he watched the animated protagonist slaughter her first monster. Tsuna had wanted to keep Xanxus close and not let the man out of his sight after he had come back to his room with the news, so the youngest was snuggled on the couch beside Takeshi, and in reach of his fiancé.

It could have gone better.

Three bottles of Whisky and one of Rye and Xanxus could _still_ hear the disappointment in the old man's tone when he ranted about their age difference, and how that would never work in their future. How Tsuna still needed to have children, since he was the last of Primo's line, even if he wasn't in line for the title. The man had ranted about how he wouldn't stand to see Xanxus _destroy_ Tsuna… like everything Xanxus touched shattered.

Xanxus didn't cry, but he did drown himself in booze and the repeated thought that Tsuna loved him, and that _this_ was why he couldn't think of Nono as his father. The man was a walking contradiction. After all, his own wife was 14 years younger than he was. Familial love at arms length.

His eyes caught movement as Tsuna stood, collecting the empty bottles off the floor, and reaching for the one in Xanxus' hand.

"Iiissss not donnn."

"Yes it is. Let me go get you something else to drink."

"…M'k. 'cause you're hot." Xanxus more dropped his arm than he actually let the bottle go, but Tsuna took it all the same and returned with a bottle of water and a blanket. Xanxus took a long swallow and frowned at Tsuna.

"Thisss issn alcohohol." He slurred at the three Tsuna's in front of him.

"No, it's not alcohol. It's water, so you don't kill yourself with alcohol poi-"

"I'll neeeverrr Diiieeeeee!"

"… of course. Just drink the water. For me?"

"M'K! you're reeeeeeally sexy… ca-han you sitin my lap?" Tsuna almost laughed. 'Sexy' was so slurred, it sounded like 'Sloshy' and the 'p' at the end was popped.

"After you finish the water. Ok?" Tsuna said instead, tucking the blanket around the man's shoulders and hips. His kissed the pout away and sat next to Takeshi, getting ready to hit play on episode 3 of Blood+.

Half way through the episode, Xanxus fell asleep, and Takeshi physically relaxed.

"I'm not so much afraid of him, really, but he can be intimidating when he's mad." The young man admitted quietly. Tsuna smiled at him.

"I know."

"So what happened? You were speaking in Italian when he came back, and he hasn't moved from that chair since."

"Oh, right. You know how my dad was surprisingly accepting of our relationship?"

"Yeah?" Takeshi really didn't like the way this was sounding, and he paused the show, turned to give Tsuna his full attention.

"Well, his dad… wasn't."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry." Tsuna waved it off.

"Don't worry about that. It seems like the issue isn't so much that I'm a guy, and more that I'm me. I've met his… father, I guess, a long time ago, and the man thought of me as a grandson, since he took my own father under his wing and taught him so much about the business my dad runs. He taught me a lot too. I guess it just weirded him out seeing his son with someone he had felt was his grandson."

"Is he a lot older then?" Takeshi asked, pulling his arm up over the back of the couch and putting his head in his hand.

"Yeah, uh… I think he's in his 70's now."

"Damn." Takeshi widened his eyes and Tsuna nodded his head. "You going to do anything to help the situation?" he asked Tsuna after a minute.

"Probably. Maybe. I don't know. I mean, we still have to tell the people Xanxus works with-" Tsuna's phone rang, interrupting him mid word. With a sigh, Tsuna got up and trudged over to his phone, watching as Xanxus twitched with the noise.

It was Nono.

"Shit." Tsuna sighed, looking up at Takeshi. He pointed at Xanxus. "Could you…?"

"I'll watch him."

"Thanks."

Tsuna answered the call and walked to another room. "Hi, this is Tsuna. What ever could I do for you, Timoteo?"

" _You seduced my son."_

"I like to think of it as he seduced me. After all, he was the one that invited me to bed first."

" _It makes no difference."_ He sighed. _"Either way, he left before I was done speaking to him, and he isn't answering his phone. What did you do to him?"_

"Boy oh boy, you sure sound different from what I remember." Tsuna took a seat at the dining table and crossed one leg over the other, letting the man stew. He did, after all, hurt his beloved Xanxus – a little torture wouldn't kill the man.

"After he tried to drown himself in booze, I gave him a bottle of water with a sleeping drug and tucked a blanket around him. He'll be out for a few hours – watching him sleep away the pain is better than watching him drink it away."

" _What room are you in – I'll come to you."_

"Oh you haven't left yet? Then I'll come down to the lobby."

" _No. I want to see my son."_

"And I want you to stay the fuck away from him, until he wants to see you. Which, thanks to you, may be never again." Tsuna knew he sounded angry, he just hoped the man still want to talk to him and not hang up.

" _Was that a threat."_ … oops. Tsuna hadn't meant for it to go that way. He pulled on his Dying Will and spoke far more calmly than he felt.

"No, that was not a threat. Even I am not that stupid. You said you're still in the building? I'll be down, and we can talk this out in the lobby." With that Tsuna hung up, slid the phone into his pocket and grabbed his Dagger Stilettos. He was going to need the support, and the illusion of height. He changed his pants to something far longer than he was tall, to cover the heels better without getting in his way and changed to a top that he knew went well with it. Hayato was the more fashion-forward of the group, but Tsuna had picked up on a few things. Like how to look perfectly Androgynous in a business setting. Tsuna walked back into the living room and blinked at an awake Xanxus.

"How are you up? I know I put enough in there to knock you out cold." Tsuna stepped closer and grabbed the water bottle… that was still more than half full. "Ah that's why."

"Heeeeey, you lookkk hotterrr than befr… did you change?" Tsuna looked up at Xanxus and watched the way the man's eyes were glued to his ass – as always.

"Yes I did change. Now, can you please drink the rest of this? I just don't want you to get sick in the morning." Tsuna pouted as he walked over, handing the bottle back. Xanxus grabbed the bottle and opened it as he tried to look at Tsuna's face.

"Whaa do I geeet ifs I do?"

"I'll sit in your lap, kiss you, and let you grab my ass." Xanxus upended the bottle and the entire thing was empty in seconds. He tossed the bottle over his shoulder and held out his hands for Tsuna, a leer on his drunken face. Tsuna matched the leer and slid onto Xanxus' lap, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and laying his lips over the man's chapped ones. He felt strong, hot hands caress his ass and he sat and kissed his fiancé for a minute before the drug kicked in and the man fell asleep. Tsuna pulled away with a stumble.

"Jesus Christ, I feel drunk just from kissing him. Holy fuck."

Takeshi laughed. "I feel like I understand more about why you're a little evil with him now."

"Oh? Right, you and my dad had a chat."

"Yeah, were you really in the Mafia, in line to be a boss?"

"Yeah, I'll catch you up later, I have to run now." Tsuna looked down at his watch – five minutes had passed since his chat with Nono, and he really did need to go. "Uhm, Takeshi?"

"Yeah, I'll watch him."

"Thank you so much." Tsuna darted out the door and to the stairs – at least for a couple flights. He didn't need to give away what floor he was on with his love and friends. His Intuition told him he had the right idea.

* * *

End of Part one.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

* * *

Tsuna grabbed the elevator going down from the floor two flights below the top – four flights up from his own. It'll throw the man off for a few seconds, thinking that Tsuna and the rest were staying at a higher floor, and Tsuna needed all the extra time he could get. He just couldn't figure out one thing though.

Why would Timoteo be against their relationship? It had to be more than his bloodline… and Xanxus had said that he really seemed like he didn't care about his relationship with another man, he just got upset when Xanxus had said his name. Was it really his age that bothered the man so much? He really had no idea how this was going to go once he got there, but he was sure of one thing; nothing and no one would _ever_ come between Tsuna and Xanxus. Consequences be damned.

That being said, Tsuna's initial reaction to seeing Iemitsu standing there beside Timoteo was confusion.

"Um… dad? What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked as he stepped close, caution colouring every step he took. His Hyper Intuition was going crazy, telling him something was wrong, that he shouldn't be here, and he was needed elsewhere, _now_. He took in the solemn relief on Timoteo's face, took in the fear and resolution in Iemitsu's and realization dawned on him less than two steps closer to the men from the elevator.

"Oh fuck no." Tsuna promptly turned back to the elevator and Iemitsu caught him by the arm before Tsuna could press the button to call the machine back.

"Now, just wait. This isn't what you think it is."

"And what do I think it is, _Iemitsu_?"

"Ok, maybe it is. But not for the same reason!"

"Then what the Hell is going on?!" the brunette shouted, wrenching his arm from the taller man's grasp. The doors dinged open then and Tsuna stepped in, slamming on the 'close door' button as hard as he could, but the two older men stepped in before he could cast them out.

"Perhaps I could explain?" Timoteo asked hopefully. Tsuna couldn't completely wipe the glare from his eyes, and he couldn't deny that he liked the flinch the man took when he saw it.

"By all means. You have the floor." Tsuna looked up at the floor levels they were passing. "Technically you have the next 16 floors… 15…"

"Your father put me up to it." Timoteo said without a hint of remorse for throwing his friend under the bus and looked away. Tsuna had the feeling that if the man had been just a tad less refined, he may have started whistling to show his 'innocence'. The young brunette turned the full force of his glare onto the man he hated to call 'dad' and added a layer or two of 'disappointment' just to get his displeasure across properly.

"I just saw how toxic Xanxus seemed for you, so I asked Nono to help me with a plan to separate you two, so I could get you a way to safely leave him!"

"Toxic? What the fuck do you mean, _Toxic_?!"

"That!" Iemitsu shouted, finally at his breaking point. "That right there! My Tuna-fish would never swear at me! The way you're dressed, the way you talk, your attitude! The fact that he had a hand on your neck! The way he kissed you! He's hurting you, and you know it! That's why I had men take Xanxus away while I had you in the lobby!"

"Excuse you?! The way I dress and act has noth- wait. What was the last bit?"

"Yes." Timoteo spoke with such a dark tone, both other men in the elevator flinched as they turned to him. " **What** was that last bit?"

"Well…" Iemitsu floundered under the combined glare of both his son and elder friend. "It's just, I thought Tsuna would want to get his stuff without Xanxus in the way after I spoke to him and got him to-"

"Skip to the part I want to hear, Iemitsu." Tsuna interrupted. The man didn't so much 'flinch' as he sputtered to a pause and glowered at his son.

"I really don't like this new attitude."

"Iemitsu." Timoteo said. He didn't growl the man's name, but he did lower his voice to a warning. The blond gulped and continued.

"I had my men take Xanxus from the room so Tsuna could-"

"What?! I have a civilian watching over him right now! You sent men in to remove an unconscious man that a civilian _with no training_ is watching over?" Tsuna sputtered. He looked up at the floor level and his tension lowered a touch. They were almost there, just another 2 floors.

"In my defense, I didn't know there was a civilian here – is it Takeshi?" the doors dinged open and Tsuna rushed out without giving the man a proper response. A gun went off from the room Tsuna and Xanxus were staying in, and Tsuna's heart all but stopped cold. He ran faster, Iemitsu and Timoteo jogging behind him, and they burst into the room just as Yamamoto Takeshi went down.

* * *

"Yeah, I'll catch you up later, I have to run now." Tsuna looked down at his watch, a stylish piece that Takeshi had saved his money up for, for nearly a year and given to Tsuna for his first birthday back in Namimori. Originally, Takeshi had meant to give the smaller man the watch and confess his own feelings of love and adoration to him at the same time, but then Tsuna brought home that behemoth of a man named Xanxus and said they were dating. Takeshi had already bought the watch, and he couldn't return it… so he had given it to the man anyway, without the confession. To be honest, Takeshi still had feelings for his best friend, but he knew they would never be returned.

"Uhm, Takeshi?" He looked up as his name was called, and he followed Tsuna's finger pointed at the large man passed out on the chair.

"Yeah, I'll watch him." Takeshi said easily, not because he really wanted to watch over his rival, but because he knew it would make Tsuna smile.

"Thank you so much." Tsuna said with a grin that lit up the room, before he darted for the door and left. Takeshi kept up his own grin for all of three seconds after the door closed and dropped it with a sigh.

"I hate you." He said the words at Xanxus, knowing the man wouldn't hear them. "I really do loath you. Tsuna does so much for you and you do nothing for him in return. He deserves so much better than _you_."

Xanxus just continued to snore without so much as twitching and for a second, really just a split second, Takeshi wanted to do something evil. Maybe kill him, maybe just hurt him, he wasn't sure, but something like that would make Tsuna sad, so Takeshi refrained from doing anything and instead just paused _Blood+_ and waltzed over to the small kitchenette for something to drink.

He lifted the bottle of water to his lips just as a shiver crawled down his spine. Something was coming… his hair stood tall on his arms and on the back of his neck and Takeshi wished he had his baseball bat with him. In leu of anything else, Takeshi grabbed a short broom from the small closet in the kitchenette and quietly twisted the handle from the brush, keeping both in hand as he looked at the door. Someone was breaking in.

The door opened, and Takeshi hid himself, watching the reflection on the fridge door as 4 men broke into the room. They spoke quietly to each other in Italian, and Takeshi wished he could understand them right now. They walked towards Xanxus, still asleep and they spoke to each other some more, a little louder, then they all laughed and…

And began trying to pick up his problem and take him away. Takeshi debated with himself on what to do for a whole minute as the men struggled to lift Xanxus from the chair.

On the one hand, if they succeeded, Takeshi would have Tsuna all to himself. But then, Tsuna would be sad and maybe even a little disappointed in Takeshi if he didn't at least try to stop them. He did say he would watch over the man. On the other hand, Takeshi was practically unarmed against 4 men, and if he guessed right, they were Mafia. Takeshi had only just been introduced to the world, but Xanxus was supposed to be a Boss of some kind, right? If these men came for Xanxus, knowing the man's strength, then they would have to be strong too; strong enough to be confident in taking him on.

Tsuna's sad eyes popped into his head and Takeshi knew what he needed to do.

Damn it all.

"Oi." Takeshi said, loud and sharp and strong as he stepped out of the relative safety of the kitchenette. The men startled and dropped Xanxus to the floor, about three steps away from the chair. Takeshi wanted to laugh, but he held strong. One of the men, Takeshi assumed him to be their 'leader' of sorts, stepped up and spoke in Italian in a very demanding tone. Takeshi tilted his head to the side and raised an eye brow, saying the one phrase Gokudera had taught him in Shang-Hai.

"N-non Parlo Italia-anoo." He knew he butchered the phrase horribly, but hopefully the men would understand. _"I don't speak Italian."_

"Allora cosa parli?" _"Then what do you speak?"_ The man sounded annoyed, but Takeshi just offered a half shrug and shook his head, having no idea what the other had said to him. The man tisked and waved a hand at one of the others. "Oh, non importa allora, prendilo!" _"Oh, never mind then, get him!"_

The one on the man's immediate left charged, and though Takeshi didn't know what was said, he got the gist of it as the charging man lifted a fist. It was a good thing Takeshi had randomly prepared for this.

He tossed the brush at the charging man's face, making the man pause and lift arms up to defend himself or knock away the object, but the moment he did, Takeshi wasn't in his immediate line of sight and the Japanese man took full advantage of that. Just like his father had taught him so many years ago, Takeshi stepped forward and slammed the wooden broom handle into the man's stomach with all the force he could muster, bringing the man down. The short broom handle was just a little longer than his bat and a little shorter than a shi-ai, but Takeshi could make do with it. He stepped back and kicked the man in the head, aiming for his temple, hoping to knock him out and not kill him.

The man didn't move after that, but Takeshi wasn't given time to check and see if he had actually killed him – the other three men sprang into action then, pulling knifes and the one Takeshi had thought was the leader pulled a gun. It was the first one he had ever seen pointed at him, and his eyes narrowed in on the barrel as the man aimed at Takeshi. Without thinking, Takeshi darted forward and to the side, slamming into the first man with a knife, driving his make-shift weapon into the man's stomach with one end, and putting all his weight into the other, driving the end further into the man. The knife caught Takeshi's arm as the man went down, but he paid it no mind – he didn't have the chance to.

The second man came at him with a downward slash and Takeshi blocked the best he could. The knife sunk into the wood of the handle, and the man twisted his hand, wrenching the weapon from Takeshi. Before he could even think of reclaiming the weapon, the first man thrust his knife forward while still on the ground, slicing through Takeshi's leg and drawing a cry from his lips. The most deafening ' _ **Boom**_!' Takeshi had ever heard went off next to him and he whipped to the side, watching as Xanxus (when the hell had he woken up?!) struggled with the leader. Xanxus stood tall as the other man fell to the floor, Xanxus having taken his gun and killed him with his own weapon.

Takeshi fell to the floor just as the door burst open and for a second, Takeshi thought his life was over – these men had reinforcements. But then Tsuna was there, calling his name and he was _right there_ next to him. The other men had stopped as soon as Tsuna's dad had come in and started to speak in Italian at them, and then an old man Takeshi didn't know was over by Xanxus, helping him stumble back to his chair, and Tsuna was still calling his name and the last thing Takeshi saw was Tsuna's beautiful face drawn in panicked lines as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Takeshi? Takeshi!" Tsuna cried, trying to remain calm as he checked his best friend for injuries. The gash on his arm looked bad and had almost completely torn away the man's T-shirt sleeve, and Tsuna could see an alarming amount of blood pooling from Takeshi's leg. Takeshi wasn't responding to anything he did, and Tsuna was panicking, he knew he was, but he still had to make sure the man was alright.

"But sir! You told us to get him out of the room, no matter what we had to do to do it! We were only doing just that!"

"And who the hell is that guy anyway? He isn't Vongola or Varia – he isn't trained."

"His name is Takeshi." Tsuna cut in, glaring up at the men from his friend's side. It looked like Takeshi had just passed out, and the sight of the blood was far worse than the wounds actually were. Tsuna had barely started to calm down when the men continued.

"Well who ever he is, we should kill him-" the man's head was slammed back, Tsuna's heel sliding easily into the underside of the man's mouth. The man hit the wall and went down and Tsuna pulled his heel back, kicking the air to get the blood off his shoe. The man's companion and Iemitsu both rushed to his side.

"Tsuna!"

"Relax. I didn't kill him, I just put a new hole in his mouth."

"Tsunayoshi-kun." Timoteo said, his tone that of a disapproving grandfather.

"Assss my babe!" Xanxus slurred happily, throwing his hands in the air. It seemed the sleeping drug and the alcohol were still affecting his mind. With a small smile, Tsuna walked over and pressed a kiss to Xanxus' forehead.

"I'll be right back, alright?"

"M'k. wheeere?"

"I'm just moving Takeshi to somewhere that isn't the floor."

"M'k. heee'sss a good friend. Heeee tried to proteckt mee." Tsuna smiled as he left Xanxus' side to go to Takeshi. Just as he was trying to think on how he was going to move his much larger friend, Hayato walked in. He froze in the doorway, eyes locked on the blood he could see oozing from Takeshi's leg.

"T-Take- Tsuna-san! What happened to Yamamoto?! Is he ok? Are you ok?" Hayato rushed to Tsuna's side, setting a bag off to the side as he squatted close. Despite his last question, Hayato barely spared Tsuna a glance.

"It's not life threatening, but I would like your help getting him to the bed, so he isn't on the floor." Tsuna said as he started to move Takeshi's good arm up around his neck.

"Here, let me." Hayato said and grabbed that same arm, pulling the man into his chest with a worried look Tsuna had only ever seen a few times on his usually scowling face. Hayato heaved the man up, slipping one arm under Takeshi's legs. He carried the man bridal style to the bedroom, glaring at the unidentified men in the room. Tsuna left to get the first aid kit from the bathroom and spoke calmly as he passed the people in the living area. Xanxus was already out cold again.

"None of you move, you hear me?" He tossed some gauze and a bandage at his father. "So he doesn't bleed everywhere." He left them to brew and handed the kit to Hayato, who was on the phone. Hayato lowered the phone and pressed the speaker button, and a groggy voice answered at the last possible second.

" _You better be a sexy lady in trouble or I'm hanging up."_

"It's Hayato – _don't you dare hang up!_ "

" _What do you want, Hayato? I thought you told me you were out of the scene."_

"I thought I was too, but some things have happened and – look, I just need you to guide me through something. You don't even need to come here."

" _If you're still in japan, then there wouldn't be a way for me to get there soon anyway."_

"I'm in Italy."

" _Oh, that makes such a difference!"_

Tsuna could only cringe at the sarcasm and hope Hayato didn't hang up because of it. The man did still have a wicked temper every now and again. To his surprise, however, Hayato just shook his head once, grit his teeth and continued.

"My friend has some pretty deep knife wounds, and I don't know how to stitch them up."

" _Hayato, admitting to not knowing what to do? This is a pretty rare occasion."_ The man drawled, as if every second didn't count right now.

"Shamal! Please, alright?! I'll do what every it is you want me to do, if you please just help me now, alright?!"

"… _Alright. What's the injury like? Was there poison used, or clean? How deep is it?"_

"I'll go check for Poison." Tsuna said numbly and darted for the door as Hayato began describing both wounds, though the wound on his leg was the most concerning to Hayato. Apparently, the doctor agreed.

Tsuna darted back into the main room, watching his Fiancé struggle to stay awake for a second before he turned back to the men who had attacked them.

"You." He said as he stepped to the men now cowering on the floor off to the side. His father wasn't with them, but the body Xanxus had dropped had disappeared, so Tsuna had an idea as to where he went. The young brunette settled down in front of them, sitting back on his heels. The man Tsuna had skewered shrunk back, and the sight of that made Tsuna grin.

"You weren't here to kill, right?" They nodded fearfully, one faster than the other, if only because he wasn't injured. "So, you didn't use anything _other_ than your weapons, right?"

They shook their heads, again with different speeds and Tsuna stood. "Good." He said and dismissed them. He walked back to the bedroom and relayed the message, getting a grateful nod in return.

"Do you need any help?" Tsuna asked, praying Hayato didn't. Tsuna would willingly help if he was needed, but truthfully, if he didn't have to see his best friend in pain, he would much rather not be in the room. Hayato looked up with a weary smile, blood smeared a little on his chin.

"Thanks Tsuna-san. But… I got this. Go be a boss ass bitch." The tension in Tsuna's body dissipated a little with the casual words, but he knew it was more because Hayato didn't want Tsuna to see him rattled.

"Ok, call me if you need me. And Hayato?"

"Yeah, boss?" Tsuna knew it was bad, at least Hayato's state of mind was bad, when he resorted to calling Tsuna 'boss'.

"Takeshi is going to be ok. He's stronger than he looks." Hayato let out a shaky breath.

"Yeah… I know."

* * *

Xanxus was back to being unconscious when Tsuna came back out, but Tsuna really didn't care about that as he slid into the larger man's lap, cuddling up to the man he loved while glaring daggers at the man that fathered him. Iemitsu had come back while Tsuna was with Hayato, but the man hadn't said a word to Tsuna.

"Tsunayoshi." Timoteo spoke off to the side, and Tsuna regarded him coolly. "You really would have made a splendid Vongola Decimo. For what it's worth, I do welcome you to the family."

The comment caught Tsuna off guard, and he let a small smile slip onto his lips, his eyes softening. "Thank you. That means a lot… do you think you could say that last part again when Xanxus is awake and coherent?" they shared a short laugh.

"Of course. I was going to speak with him privately after all this mess in any case." Timoteo looked over at Iemitsu, watching the man check the other downed man for injuries as the assassin woke up.

"What did Iemitsu tell you was going on with me and Xanxus to get you to agree to help him?" Tsuna asked quietly. He knew his father was listening, even as Iemitsu ushered the assassins out the door to go back to whatever they had been doing before.

"Iemitsu told me he watched Xanxus put his hands on you. He said that Xanxus had grabbed your throat to stop you from talking at the dinner table, and kissed you like he owned you." Timoteo sighed and looked down at his hands. "To be honest, I could see my son doing that, and being _that_ kind of lover to whomever he liked. Until I sat down with him this morning, I didn't think he had really cared about you. But then…" a fond, albeit sad smile came across the old man's lips.

"But then Xanxus told me about the change of heart he had. How he hadn't maimed anyone since he started dating you, how he hadn't taken on any kind of mission since he started seeing you, how he had never gotten mad at you and I realized he really, truly loved you… and I had a moment of doubt about what Iemitsu said." Timoteo looked up at Tsuna for a moment and looked away again in shame.

"But I still acted the way I did, I hurt my child on the thought that he couldn't really love someone like he loves you. And to be honest, I do hate myself for having acted that way."

He looked up imploringly into Tsuna's eyes. "Could you ever forgive me?"

Tsuna wanted to forgive the man, really he did. He gave off a rather effective 'kicked puppy' look that Tsuna couldn't ignore, but…

"I'm not the one who can forgive you, and I think you know that." He said softly, leaning over and taking the man's hand in his. Timoteo looked down at their hands and nodded sadly.

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Well, now that _that's_ all cleared up." Iemitsu muttered disdainfully from Tsuna's side. Tsuna turned a sharp glare at him in return and dropped Timoteo's hands.

"And what, _pray tell_ , is your excuse?"

"He had his hands on your throat! He was ordering you around! He put his hands on you, like he was controlling you at dinner!" Iemitsu growled, pointing at the man Tsuna was happily sitting on.

"I like it rough!" Tsuna almost yelled out, refusing to let his own embarrassment shine through with his admission. "He wasn't ordering me around or controlling me – he was helping me through my own anxiety with facing _you_ about my sexuality. And besides, Xanxus is the greatest thing to have _ever_ happened to me." He paused to let the sentence sink in. "I love him, with all my heart, and I know he loves me too. I asked him to marry me, and he asked me to marry him, at the same time. Not through a 'oh, we should get married!' type of conversation, and not through him demanding I get him a ring or something equally _stupid_ that you might be thinking. We both, separately, came to the same conclusion that we would like to be together for the rest of our lives. At least, that's the conclusion I came to." He turned back to stare at semi-lucid red eyes.

"I love you, Xanxus."

"Then why the fuck did you drug me?"

"Oh!" Tsuna exclaimed as he turned to fully face his fiancé, "You're actually back!"

"Yeah, kinda." The man let his head fall back against the chair's headrest. "But seriousssly, babe, what the _fuck_ …" his words were still sleep-laced and slurred, and Tsuna had no doubts that he was trying his best not to pass out again. Xanxus brought up his hands, though only one made it his face, the other caught Tsuna's hair and the man started playing with the soft strands as he rubbed his face, trying to wake up.

"I thought watching you sleep away the pain was better than watching you drink your way into an early grave."

"I'll never die~." Xanxus said, abandoning his attempt at waking up with his hand. He wrapped both arms around Tsuna's waist and started rubbing his face into Tsuna's hair instead.

"Yeah, you said that earlier, too."

"Then why don't you fucking believe me?"

"Because you drank 4 large bottles of hard liquor in under an hour. As your future husband, I have a right to worry about you."

"… fair." Xanxus slumped further into Tsuna's neck and glanced to his right at Timoteo, then to his left at Iemitsu, and sighed. "Why are people I fucking hate here?" Xanxus bemoaned into Tsuna's back.

Tsuna felt more than saw Timoteo flinch at that. "Well, one of them was apologizing for hurting you, and the other was making up bad excuses."

"Oh… fuckin'… which one is… which?" Xanxus grumbled. Before Tsuna could answer him, however, Xanxus gave a deep snore that told everyone there he had lost the fight for consciousness. Tsuna took hold of the man's hands as they fell from his waist to his hips and hugged the man's arms around himself. He leaned back slowly, letting his lover's head fall back against the chair gently and lay his head against Xanxus' collar bone, sighing softly as he took in his fiancé's warmth. He couldn't bring himself to smile though.

"So he really isn't hurting you? The way he was holding you at dinner yesterday…"

Tsuna looked up at his father with sad eyes.

"Yes, Xanxus isn't hurting me. He loves me as much as I love him. I don't know how many times I have to say that for you to understand that I really mean it." Tsuna sighed, but then dropped Xanxus' arms from his waist. "I'm going to visit mom tomorrow. I don't know if I'll tell her about Xanxus, but-"

"You can't see her tomorrow." Iemitsu interrupted. "She's undergoing a lot of tests today and tomorrow, so the doctors won't let anyone visit her, unless she asks. It'll have to wait another day." He explained before Tsuna could explode in his face.

"Hmmm." Tsuna hummed, looking down contemplatively.

"When do you need to go back?"

Tsuna looked up at Timoteo. "Ah… well, technically it's an open-ended ticket, but Takeshi's classes start back up the week after next, so we can't stay longer than a week. Ten days tops, but that would really be cutting it close."

"Well, I don't know. He might just have to put a hold on his classes." Hayato spoke up from the bedroom doorway. Tsuna jumped up from his love's lap to rush over.

"Is he ok?" Tsuna asked as he stopped a half step away, leaning into the bedroom to look in on his best friend. The room was starting to get dark, but the light of the setting sun painted a rather gory picture. Blood stained the bed sheets and used gauze filled a small bag just off to the side. Takeshi looked pale as he laid on the bed, still unconscious. Tsuna looked back at Hayato with fear in his eyes but the other man refused to look at him.

Hayato glared at Iemitsu with barely contained rage flickering in his eyes. "The knife wounds were deep. It looks like both of them cut into his tendons and nerves. He's not playing baseball again anytime soon. His career is shot to shit now, before it even started."

"Oh, my god, no." Tsuna breathed, eyes wide in horror as he stepped back. He brought a hand up to his lips as he looked back at his silver-haired friend.

"Shamal will be coming by later tonight or early tomorrow morning, to see if Flames can do much." Hayato said as he continued to stare at Iemitsu. The man looked down at his clasped hands in his lap.

"I never meant for him to get hurt in this-"

"If you hadn't sent men for Xanxus – what the fuck was that even?!" Hayato howled as he took a step toward the man, his hands clenched at his side, raised halfway to his waist. He was looking for a fight.

"I sent them to remove Xanxus from the room so Tsuna could get his stuff to leave Xanxus without the man here to be in his way."

"What the fuck?!" Hayato screamed, taking two more steps closer. Tsuna caught the back of his arm and held him back. Hayato continued another step forward despite his best friends' hold on his arm. "Takeshi could have died because you couldn't believe your son was in a happy relationship? What the fuck man!"

"I didn't know he was here!" Iemitsu roared, jumping up from his seat. Xanxus was awake and standing in under a second, gun in one hand and the other held out across Hayato's chest – though weather it was to hold Hayato back, protect him, or to help Xanxus keep his balance wasn't clear.

"Sit." Xanxus commanded. Iemitsu glared but held his hands up in a gesture of surrender and lowered himself back to his seat. Xanxus nodded once, but the motion seemed to bring back his dizzy spell. He almost dropped his gun, but Tsuna reached out and caught him and, along with Hayato's help, got the man back into his seat.

"We get that this whole time, Tsuna was your main concern." Xanxus said slowly, as clearly as he could. "That's great. He's my main concern too, and I'mm sure Takeshi would agree with theh sentiment. But to make such a play without confirming if he was or wasn't in danger? That's just… too much." There was still some slur to his speech, but it was clearer than it had been in hours.

"Want some water babe?" Tsuna asked as he leaned over the man's shoulder.

"Will it be actual water this time?" Xanxus shot back. It seemed he was a little peeved about the sleeping drug after all.

"Yes. I promise." Tsuna giggled. Xanxus nodded slowly with a mis-placed pout before he gipped Tsuna's arm tightly and looked over his shoulder at Hayato for a moment.

"I want you to get it." he slurred.

"Why me?" Hayato asked as he slipped his hands in his pockets. His tone indicated that he was bored, but Tsuna knew he was so tense from all the today's events that he might as well have screamed his question up at the sun, moon, and stars above.

"Yeah, why not me? Don't you trust me?" Tsuna said, pouting and trying to pull his arm from Xanxus' grasp. The large man turned his glower to Tsuna for a moment before he smirked dangerously.

"I trust you with my heart, my soul and my life." He mirrored the other words from the day previous, "But not with my water."

Hayato burst out laughing and Tsuna let out an undignified and hurt sound as the silver-haired bombshell started for the kitchen.

* * *

I'm not sure this is where I want to end the chapter, but it's been long enough between now and the last update so… Part 3 to come soon! I did my best with Takeshi's fight scene… since he is a natural born hit-man… but almost completely untrained, way outnumbered, and he had no real weapon. Was it ok? Please tell me it was ok, I need the validation!

\- Mel


End file.
